cable

Bad news for cable TV. According to a new report, some 2.65 million subscribers have abandoned cable or satellite TV since 2008 in favor of Internet and over the air delivery. Nearly half of that, 1.05 million, came in 2011 alone. Another million or so customers are expected to do so by the end of 2012. [Convergence Online via Bloomberg]

Netflix joining forces with the very cable companies is a weird notion, but ultimately makes sense. Studios, networks, and even the cable companies have proven very hostile towards supplying consumers, and even the streaming video services, with a wide selection of on-demand content. And if they’re going to lose directly as a result of a lack of good movies, they might as well make it back through the cable companies as an added-value type of service. [Reuters via Techmeme]

Here’s an interesting look at how the platform wars are playing out across smartphones and tablets.

GeekWire landed an internal slide from USA Today that lists how many times its application has been downloaded. USA Today has a wider, more geographically diverse readership than most other newspapers, giving us insights into the ecosystem that we might not get from the typical measurement companies.

If USA Today’s internal statistics are any indication, the Kindle Fire is blowing other Android tablets out of the water. The slide shows 260,000 downloads of its app for Kindle Fire compared with only 130,000 for other Android tablets. That’s a two-to-one ratio.

The Kindle Fire still trails the iPad by some ~2.6 million downloads, but that’s unsurprising. What’s more impressive is how much headway the Kindle Fire has made in the short time since its release.

Further, you can see that the iPhone app is still beating the Android app in downloads. And Windows Phone has a lot of work to do.

Well, well, apparently the Sports Fans Coalition was had some success getting the FCC’s attention about the unfairness that is the most popular sports league in the State’s blackout policy. Currently, the NFL rules require any game that isn’t sold out to be blacked out in the home team’s market. The FCC extended that rule from over-the-air broadcasters to cable and satellite since most people don’t get TV with an antenna. This sounds like a good use of the FCC’s time and all, but considering FOX, CBS etc own the rights, we don’t see how removing this rule would change the NFL’s mind on its blackout policy. We suppose it’s possible that publicity from this type of deliberation from the FCC could spur bigger change from the NFL or even Congress, but considering the success of the NFL, this might not end peacefully.

In the real world, using salary as a measure, a Goldman Sachs staffer is worth much more than a Wal-Mart employee. An average Goldman Sachs employee is paid a bonus of $500,000, while the average Wal-Mart employee salary is $20,000.

On Facebook, the opposite is true. In the eyes of an advertiser, a Wal-Mart employee is worth nearly twice as much as a Goldman employee, according to Facebook’s suggested advertising bid prices.

To call Mark Cuban eccentric would be akin to describing the ocean as wet, but what’s not so often acknowledged about the Dallas Mavericks owner is the sharp mind and commercial nous that have gotten him to the position of hiring and firing millionaire ball players. One of Mark’s recent blog posts, entitled “The future of TV … is TV,” got the attention of NewTeeVee, who sought to debunk his contention that VOD (video on demand) services from cable operators would become the primary means by which we consume digital media in the future. They cite the growing success story of Netflix’s digital distribution model, as well as the 12 million hours of March Madness video consumed via CBS’ web portal, in arguing that web streaming is indeed the great new hotness.

Mark’s response tackles Netflix head on, and points out that the company’s rapid growth is about to start working against it, with movie studios and other content providers likely to jack up prices and demand further concessions from the streaming service as it turns into a real competitor to cable companies. According to him, Netflix is presently getting its content at prices that are unsustainable, and his prognostication is that content owners seeking bigger levies — together with the expansion of VOD choice, which he sees as foolproof compared to the overwhelming complexity that web streaming entails — will lead to Netflix passing costs on to the consumers and losing out to cable operators. Irrespective of whether you agree with him, the whole exchange is well worth a read. Use the links below to get filled in.

For a 20% savings, more than 50% cable and satellite subscribers are likely to jump ship to save money. But Telco TV (services like AT&T U-verse) have a much, much more loyal following. Anecdotally, would you agree? [Multiplayblog via engadgetHD]

The new digital landscape and modern consumers are dramatically different

The new “digital landscape” is dramatically different from the environment into which TV, print, and radio ads were launched no more than two decades ago. Even today’s Web 2.0 environment is different than the Web 1.0 environment of a decade ago. As the Internet led to the more facile accumulation and dissemination of information and as social networks brought even mainstream consumers online, the power of consumers has increased significantly relative to advertisers. For example, they will search for information when they want it and ignore all other forms of interruption media pushed at them. They will look for independent and objective reviews of products or services and distrust brand messages put out by advertisers touting their own virtues. And they will rely on the actions of the community to help them filter and prioritize the best “stuff” from the ocean of available content.

Audience fragmentation caused by the proliferation of niche cable channels (e.g. the fly fishing channel) and abundant online video channels means that “mass media” is not so

“mass” any more — there are no longer massive audiences tuned into a single television

program at the same time. “Media” is now two-way or many-to-many — i.e. consumers tend to talk amongst themselves. But many advertisers and their agencies still rely heavily on one-way tactics – pushing a carefully crafted message out at target customers.

Other macro forces are also re-shaping the industries, in particular the advertising, marketing, and communications industries.

Globalization means that, for example, coding can be outsourced to India, graphic design to Australia, or television production to Asia, all at a fraction of the cost of “in-house” resources. The wide availability of tools like online photo editing tools (picnic.com), video editing sites (motionbox.com), and even high-end 3D and special effects software (Blender.org) — all of which are open source and free — fuel the perception that such digital capabilities and services should be lower cost, if not free. These trends mean that agencies whose revenues were derived from these services are facing constant downward pricing pressure.

The proliferation of information has also irreversibly changed the perceptions, behaviors, and habits of consumers. The abundance of information online conditions users to search for information and form their own opinions through research. They also expect more detailed information than can be typically delivered through TV, print, or radio ads — e.g. they want to see the product brochure online, do price comparison shopping across dozens of retailers, and read peer and expert reviews before buying. And they will do the above on their own time (e.g. planning a family cruise vacation at 1 am when the kids are asleep), which destroys the concept of targeting using day-part or show content.

The socialization of consumers online means that the conversations that used to happen among a few people around the watercooler are now happening online for all to see. The collective complaints or praises of products and services now become inputs to many other users doing research online before their next purchase. Furthermore not only is the spread of information much faster online, but the impact could also be dramatically larger — for example, 1) by the end of opening weekend, hundreds of user reviews of a movie can immediately determine its fate — a mega hit or a “straight-to-DVD” movie, and 2) the action of a single person who found an unsavory clause in AT&T’s Wireless’ “fine print” and posted it online caused such a community uproar that AT&T made a public statement that it would be removed.

Traditional agencies rely on old business models (and other challenges for traditional agencies)

Despite the new landscape conditions of no more mass media and consumers doing their own research online, many advertisers are still doing traditional advertising. And many of their agencies are still relying on old business models (agency of record) and being paid for production. Creative ideas are still being given away for free during the pitch process; if the pitch is won the agency then gets to bill against production of assets. But freely available tools or production and abundant lower cost producers are causing clients to question costs.

Other challenges plague traditional agencies. All clients want to “go digital;” but digital is seen to be a “bolt on” capability among big agencies and smaller agencies are perceived to be more digitally savvy. Further, “clients find it hard to know how much digital stuff costs,” says Peter Cowie, Managing Partner of Oyster Catchers, a search consultancy based in London. “Many clients are using in house capability to save costs and retain control.” Cowie continues, “many clients are deeply insecure about digital marketing” partly because of its novelty, but also, practically because of the wide array of new disciplines, including for example, social networking, mobile, gaming, search, analytics, user interface, Flash, AJAX, e-commerce, online ad networks and media buying, etc.

The new digital agency plays the role of a strategic advisor and subject matter expert

So what is the role an agency can and should play in this new landscape? We believe, the role of a strategic advisor to calm clients’ insecurities and ensure a cogent and smooth incorporation of digital. Smaller agencies that grew up in digital may not have the expertise in traditional disciplines nor a global footprint and enough staff to handle large global clients. However, large traditional agencies, with a few key changes to business model, organizational structure, and internal processes will be able to guide clients through the shift towards digital, by changing the marketing mix and ensuring that all channels are integrated, working together, and reinforcing to each other.

These changes may include 1) managing a network of independent specialists (who serve on SWAT teams for client projects) instead of in-house FTEs, to account for the wide variety of new skills and disciplines 2) shifting away from the business model of being paid for production to being paid for managing a network of geographically disperse low-cost providers, and 3) providing thought leadership as subject matter expert in digital disciplines, strategies, and tactics.

Digital Consigliere

Dr. Augustine Fou is Digital Consigliere to marketing executives, advising them on digital strategy and Unified Marketing(tm). Dr Fou has over 17 years of in-the-trenches, hands-on experience, which enables him to provide objective, in-depth assessments of their current marketing programs and recommendations for improving business impact and ROI using digital insights.